---
description: >
  The Packer vSphere post-processor takes an artifact and uploads it to a
  vSphere endpoint.
page_title: vSphere - Post-Processors
sidebar_title: vSphere
---

# vSphere Post-Processor

Type: `vsphere`

The Packer vSphere post-processor takes an artifact and uploads it to a vSphere endpoint.
The artifact must have a vmx/ova/ovf image.

## Configuration

There are many configuration options available for the post-processor. They are
segmented below into two categories: required and optional parameters. Within
each category, the available configuration keys are alphabetized.

Required:

- `cluster` (string) - The cluster or host to upload the VM to. This can be
  either the name of the cluster, or the IP address of the esx host that you
  want to upload to.

- `datacenter` (string) - The name of the datacenter within vSphere to add
  the VM to.

- `datastore` (string) - The name of the datastore to store this VM. This is
  _not required_ if `resource_pool` is specified.

- `host` (string) - The vSphere host that will be contacted to perform the VM
  upload.

- `password` (string) - Password to use to authenticate to the vSphere
  endpoint.

- `username` (string) - The username to use to authenticate to the vSphere
  endpoint.

- `vm_name` (string) - The name of the VM once it is uploaded.

Optional:

- `esxi_host` (string) - Target vSphere host. Used to assign specific esx
  host to upload the resulting VM to, when a vCenter Server is used as
  `host`. Can be either a hostname (e.g. "packer-esxi1", requires proper DNS
  setup and/or correct DNS search domain setting) or an ipv4 address.

- `disk_mode` (string) - Target disk format. See `ovftool` manual for
  available options. By default, "thick" will be used.

- `insecure` (boolean) - Whether or not the connection to vSphere can be done
  over an insecure connection. By default this is false.

- `keep_input_artifact` (boolean) - When `true`, preserve the local VM files,
  even after importing them to vsphere. Defaults to `false`.

- `resource_pool` (string) - The resource pool to upload the VM to.

- `vm_folder` (string) - The folder within the datastore to store the VM.

- `vm_network` (string) - The name of the VM network this VM will be added
  to.

- `overwrite` (boolean) - If it's true force the system to overwrite the
  existing files instead create new ones. Default is false

- `options` (array of strings) - Custom options to add in ovftool. See
  `ovftool --help` to list all the options

# Example

The following is an example of the vSphere post-processor being used in
conjunction with the null builder and artifice post-processor to upload a vmx
to a vSphere cluster.

You can also use this post-processor with the vmx artifact from a vmware build.

<Tabs>
<Tab heading="JSON">

```json
{
  "builders": [
    {
      "type": "null",
      "communicator": "none"
    }
  ],
  "post-processors": [
    [
      {
        "type": "artifice",
        "files": ["output-vmware-iso/packer-vmware-iso.vmx"]
      },
      {
        "type": "vsphere",
        "keep_input_artifact": true,
        "vm_name": "packerparty",
        "vm_network": "VM Network",
        "cluster": "123.45.678.1",
        "datacenter": "PackerDatacenter",
        "datastore": "datastore1",
        "host": "123.45.678.9",
        "password": "SuperSecretPassword",
        "username": "Administrator@vsphere.local"
      }
    ]
  ]
}
```

</Tab>
<Tab heading="HCL2">

```hcl
source "null" "example" {
    communicator = "none"
}

build {
    sources = [
        "source.null.example"
    ]

    post-processors{
      post-processor "artifice"{
          files = ["output-vmware-iso/packer-vmware-iso.vmx"]
      }

      post-processor "vsphere"{
          keep_input_artifact = true
          vm_name = "packerparty"
          vm_network = "VM Network"
          cluster = "123.45.678.1"
          datacenter = "PackerDatacenter"
          datastore = "datastore1"
          host = "123.45.678.9"
          password = "SuperSecretPassword"
          username = "Administrator@vsphere.local"
      }
    }
}
```

</Tab>
</Tabs>

# Permissions

The vsphere post processor uses ovftool and therefore needs the same privileges
as ovftool. Rather than giving full administrator access, you can create a role
to give the post-processor the permissions necessary to run. Below is an example
role. Please note that this is a user-supplied list so there may be a few
extraneous permissions that are not strictly required.

For Vsphere 5.5 the role needs the following privileges:

    Datastore.AllocateSpace
    Host.Config.AdvancedConfig
    Host.Config.NetService
    Host.Config.Network
    Network.Assign
    System.Anonymous
    System.Read
    System.View
    VApp.Import
    VirtualMachine.Config.AddNewDisk
    VirtualMachine.Config.AdvancedConfig
    VirtualMachine.Inventory.Delete

And this role must be authorized on the:

    Cluster of the host
    The destination folder (not on Datastore, on the Vsphere logical view)
    The network to be assigned
    The destination datastore.